Choosing the right extras provider
So you’ve got extras cover, but what do all the different services mean? If you have an injury, niggle or just want to maintain your lifestyle, extras providers or ‘allied health’ professionals can support you.
Keep in mind that your needs may be different to your friends or family and your GP is best to help guide for serious or ongoing issues and questions.
Dentistry
Everybody needs to see the dentist regularly to prevent tooth decay or treat diseases of the teeth and the mouth. Dentists can clean your teeth, remove teeth, manage tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists and the dental health team provide education on how to care for your teeth and mouth. Specialist dentists can help you with more specific problems using surgical or cosmetic procedures.
You should see the dentist regularly for check-ups to prevent disease, but you can see them for any tooth or mouth pain.
Dental discounts: Frank members have access to discounted dental treatment through the smile.com.au network
Orthodontics
An orthodontist is an oral health professional who diagnoses, prevents and manages misalignment of the teeth and jaws. They use a variety of techniques and treatment options to bring the teeth and jaw back into alignment. They can also help with painful and misaligned bites, tooth movement caused by habits such as thumb sucking, and even some forms of sleep apnoea.
Optometry
Optometrists are health professionals with expertise in preventing, assessing and managing eye and vision disorders such as glaucoma or macular degeneration. They can supply, prescribe and fit vision aids such as spectacles (glasses) and contact lenses. They can also provide expert advice on occupational eye safety and vision requirements, vision related learning disabilities and lighting.
Optical discounts: Frank members have access to optical discounts Australia wide
Psychology
Psychologists provide assessment and therapy to people of all ages to help with how they feel, behave and react, and to maximise their mental health. They help with issues like depression, anxiety, and eating disorders; with athletes in sports psychology or with behavioural issues in children and adolescents. Psychologists don’t prescribe medication but use a variety of evidence based techniques to help people manage their mental health.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists help people recover from injury, increase mobility and prevent further injury. They work in all sectors of healthcare from hospitals to sporting clubs, and with most health conditions from neurological like stroke to back injuries to paediatric care.
Physiotherapists use a variety of methods including exercise prescription, joint manipulation, airway clearance techniques for those with lung conditions, to acupuncture and hydrotherapy.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic treatment can support back pain, headaches, postural issues, knee and shoulder pain. Chiropractors diagnose, treat and prevent conditions of bones, joints, muscles and ligaments.
Remedial massage
Remedial massage is a manual therapy which involves the practice of kneading and manipulating a person’s muscles to promote healing. It can be effective in the management of low back pain, delayed onset muscle soreness, soft tissue injuries and stress.
A variety of health professionals can provide remedial massage and they must be registered to provide the service which involves the objective assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of the cause of biomechanical dysfunction.
Myotherapy
Myotherapists use hands on therapy to treat or prevent soft tissue pain caused by muscle and myofascial dysfunction or injury. Treatment may include trigger point therapy, joint mobilisation, dry needling, cupping and stretching.
You can see a myotherapist without a GP referral and are useful for musculoskeletal conditions such as back, neck or shoulder pain, tennis elbow and headache.
Acupuncture
More than needles and pinpricks, Acupuncture is a treatment involving stimulating acupuncture pressure points with fine needles, heat, magnets or laser. Acupuncture can assist many aspects including pain management like jaw pain and controlling nausea.
Exercise physiology
If you haven’t seen an exercise physiologist before, what they do compared to a physiotherapist can be a bit confusing. An exercise physiologist is a qualified allied health professional who design and deliver safe and effective exercise interventions for people at high-risk of developing, or with existing chronic and complex medical conditions, injuries or disability.
They will prescribe a personalised exercise program, liaise with other health practitioners, provide counselling on how to maintain an active lifestyle and ensure exercise programs are safe for the client.
Osteopathy
An osteopath is a regulated health profession that focusses on the whole body using a variety of hand on methods including spinal manipulation, soft tissue massage techniques, stretching and joint movement. They may also prescribe exercise programs, give postural advice or an ergonomic review.
Osteopathy is good for postural issues, neck, back and shoulder pain, arthritis, sciatica and tendon problems.
Podiatry
Podiatrists assess, diagnose and manage conditions related to feet. They can prescribe orthotics (shoe inserts that assist with correcting foot imbalances), manage skin problems, calluses and corns and nail disorders, or assist with rehabilitation from foot and ankle injuries or overuse. Podiatry is essential in the management of conditions like diabetes and arthritis.
Pharmacy
Pharmacists are specialist health professionals who prepare and dispense medications, provide advice on the use of medications and promote health awareness and disease prevention. They advise the public as well as other health professionals about medication use and therapeutic effects.
Dietetics
They say you are what you eat. Dietitians promote health and disease management by optimising and educating you on your nutrition. They provide advice about food, nutrition and strategies to promote healthy eating.
Dietitians can support people with specific dietary needs like diabetes, allergies, coeliac or they can help people to gain weight or lose weight for good health.
Claiming benefits from Frank
Many providers use a HICAPS machine (which is like an EFTPOS machine) that makes claiming easy.
You just swipe your membership card via HICAPS when you receive a service and Frank pays the provider directly. Then you get charged the remainder of the bill.
Learn more about how to claim extras including what to do if your provider doesn’t have HICAPS.
Have your needs changed?
Not all services are included on every Frank extras cover and the amount you can claim will vary based on your level of cover, so it’s important to regularly check that you’re covered for what you need.
If it’s been a while since you checked your cover, you can log into the Frank member area to view your annual limits or check your fact sheet. If it’s time to make changes to your cover, you can contact Frank for a review.
